Stepping out of the spatial passage, the scene before Tang Xiaoqi's eyes made his heart tremble violently, even his breathing momentarily stopped.
He seemed not to have entered a city, but to have stepped into a completely independent, boundlessly vast world!
Overhead was not the expected sky, but that eternal brilliant starry sky seen outside the Southern Heavenly Gate, the Milky Way hanging inverted, stars seemingly within reach, shedding cold and vast starlight, illuminating the entire "inner city" as bright as day, yet with a dreamlike glow.
Looking out, one could not see the streets and houses of ordinary cities. Beneath feet was a vast white jade plaza extending to the limit of vision. Above the plaza, clouds and mist swirled, countless pavilions, towers, and immortal palaces floated in the air, connected by rainbow bridges, arranged in orderly rows and scattered in pleasing patterns. Some palaces were magnificent and golden, large as mountains; some had small bridges over flowing water, exquisite and graceful; others had peculiar shapes, like inverted pagodas or rotating stars.
Further away, majestic immortal mountains floated, waterfalls cascading from their peaks, but not flowing to earth, instead transforming into spiritual rain in mid-air, nourishing patches of spirit-rich medicine gardens and groves below. Massive spiritual beasts played and weaved through the clouds, cultivators flew on swords, rode cranes, or controlled various strange artifacts, turning into streaks of flowing light, speeding between those floating buildings and rainbow bridges.
The spiritual energy permeating the air was so dense it almost liquefied; with each breath, rolling spiritual fluid poured into the meridians on its own, without needing to circulate cultivation methods, one's cultivation slowly but steadily increased. The heavenly laws here were so clear they seemed touchable, the sounds of the Great Dao faintly echoing in the depths of the soul.
Where was this a city? This was clearly a separate cave heaven world opened and managed by great magical power, independent of the outside world! It was the ultimate embodiment of cultivation civilization!
Zhao Tiezhu sat on the ground with a thud, eyes glazed, his brain completely stopped thinking, only instinctive shock remained. He felt like an ant suddenly thrown into a divine kingdom, everything around him exceeded the limits of his imagination.
Tang Xiaoqi took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing the waves in his heart. He finally understood why Tian Shu City could be called a cultivation holy land. One day of cultivation here was probably worth a hundred days of work in the outside world! No wonder it could attract talented people from all over to come one after another.
He reached out and pulled the still-dazed Zhao Tiezhu up, speaking in a low voice: "Steady your mind, do not lose your bearing."
Zhao Tiezhu then woke as if from a dream, hurriedly scrambled up, patted the dust off his behind, his face still showing residual shock, but tried to straighten his back, not wanting to embarrass his senior.
Their current position seemed to be one of countless entrance plazas within the city. The plaza was enormous, in the distance stood a huge stone stele, upon which was written in ancient seal script the four large characters "South View Square." Light continuously flickered on the plaza, that was cultivators being teleported in through different city gates.
The crowd gathered here, then quickly dispersed, heading to various parts of the city through different rainbow bridges.
Tang Xiaoqi noticed that almost all cultivators who had just entered the city showed shock similar to his on their faces. But soon, those from major forces or led by elders quickly restrained their emotions and skillfully summoned flying artifacts or stepped onto specific rainbow bridges to leave. While those like him who appeared to come "alone" and from "small places" inevitably attracted some scrutinizing or even disdainful gazes.
Sure enough, just as he was preparing to ask someone for directions to report to "Star Oracle Hall," a slightly arrogant voice rang out nearby.
"Southeast Region? Qingxu Temple? Never heard of it. Kid, did you pick up this 'Dao Inquiry Invitation' somewhere?"
Tang Xiaoqi turned to look and saw several young cultivators in luxurious clothes with impressive auras standing not far away. The leader had handsome features but a frivolous gaze, the corner of his mouth curled in a playful smile, sizing him up and down, his gaze especially lingering on his ordinary cyan robes and the simple-looking Zhao Tiezhu beside him. These people all had a wind and lightning interweaving pattern embroidered on their cuffs, clearly disciples of some force called "Wind Thunder Pavilion."
The speaker was that leading youth, his cultivation at Golden Core mid-stage, quite good for his age, no wonder he had some arrogance. Seeing Tang Xiaoqi's aura was not obvious (the effect of the Shadow Concealing Cloak), and coming from a small southeast sect he had never heard of, he developed a disdainful attitude and spoke mockingly. Several companions around him also let out low laughs.
Zhao Tiezhu heard this and immediately glared with anger, fists clenched, about to step forward to argue. In his heart, he could be insulted, but not his senior or his senior's sect!
Tang Xiaoqi however reached out to stop him, looking calmly at that Wind Thunder Pavilion youth, speaking indifferently: "Whether it is or not, Star Oracle Hall will judge; no need for you to trouble yourself."
That youth saw Xiaoqi so calm and was somewhat surprised, but then sneered: "Quite good at pretending. Fine, this young master has no interest in whether your invitation is real or fake. However, the 'Flowing Light Rainbow Bridge' leading from South View Square to the core area is not something just any cat or dog can step on. Looking at your poor appearance, you probably cannot even afford the spirit stones to rent the lowest grade 'Cloud Boat.' How about this young master showing some charity and giving you a ride? Of course, you will have to kneel down and kowtow, haha!"
His companions behind him also laughed wantonly, attracting sidelong glances from surrounding cultivators, but most just watched coldly, no one stepped forward to stop it. In Tian Shu City, strength and background were reason, and this kind of bullying drama was not uncommon.
Zhao Tiezhu trembled with anger, his teeth grinding loudly.
Tang Xiaoqi's eyes finally turned cold. He had no desire to cause trouble upon first arrival, but the other party repeatedly provoked him and even insulted his sect. If he backed down again, he would appear cowardly, and in this place where geniuses gathered, he might not be able to take a single step in the future.
He stopped concealing his aura.
No earth-shattering pressure, no brilliant spiritual light. Just a thread, extremely condensed, as if tempered through thousands of trials, already returned to simplicity, like mercury spreading across the ground, with him as the center, silently permeating outward.
At the same time, a pure sword intent, though not yet drawn, had already cut through illusion and guarded the original heart, like an invisible sword, directly piercing toward that Wind Thunder Pavilion youth's mind!
The smile on that youth's face instantly froze, as if gripped by an invisible giant hand, his following mocking words cut short! He only felt an indescribable heavy pressure fall upon himself, not overwhelming like mountains and seas, but as if the entire sky had collapsed, pressing his spiritual power circulation to instantly stagnate, his bones groaning under the unbearable burden! Even more terrifying was that sword intent, directly penetrating his protective spiritual light, stabbing into his sea of consciousness, making him seem to see the terrifying scene of his own Dao-heart shattering under that sword!
"Puh!"
His face instantly turned pale as paper, he let out a muffled groan, and could not help but stagger back several steps. If not for his companions behind him catching him in time, he would have embarrassed himself on the spot. His gaze toward Tang Xiaoqi was filled with extreme terror and disbelief, where was there any of his previous arrogant manner?
His companions behind him were also like ducks being strangled, their laughter abruptly cut off, each face pale, looking at Tang Xiaoqi with horror, as if looking at an ancient fierce beast disguised in sheep's clothing!
The surrounding cultivators who had been watching coldly also changed color at this moment, their gazes toward Tang Xiaoqi instantly becoming grave. To force back a Golden Core mid-stage cultivator and wound his mind with just a trace of aura and sword intent, this person's strength absolutely far exceeded his surface cultivation! At least Golden Core late stage, or even... a Nascent Soul old monster in disguise?!
The originally somewhat noisy edge of the plaza now fell into a strange silence.
Tang Xiaoqi slowly withdrew that trace of aura and sword intent, his gaze calmly sweeping over those several trembling Wind Thunder Pavilion disciples, finally landing on that leading youth, his tone still plain, but carrying an irresistible authority:
"Now, can we cross the bridge?"
That youth shuddered all over, how could he dare say another word, hurriedly lowered his head, squeezing out a single word from his dry throat: "...Please!"
Tang Xiaoqi no longer looked at them, saying to Zhao Tiezhu who was still excited beside him: "Let's go."
Having said that, he took the lead, stepping onto that Flowing Light Rainbow Bridge leading to the core area of the city. Zhao Tiezhu puffed out his chest, glared fiercely at those few Wind Thunder Pavilion disciples, and hurriedly followed.
Until the two figures disappeared into the flowing light of the rainbow bridge, that Wind Thunder Pavilion youth finally let out a long breath as if collapsing, his back already soaked with cold sweat. He looked toward the rainbow bridge with lingering fear, his eyes still showing traces of terror.
"B... Big Senior Brother, that person..." a disciple beside him asked with a trembling voice.
"Shut up!" the youth shouted low, his face extremely ugly, "We kicked an iron plate! From now on, keep your eyes open! This damned Tian Shu City, crouching tigers and hidden dragons!"
He dared not linger here any longer, taking his few companions who were equally terrified, and quickly left the plaza in disgrace.
And with this incident, the news of "a cyan-robed cultivator from Southeast Region Qingxu Temple, seemingly ordinary but actually unfathomable" began to quietly spread in this small area of South View Square through the mouths of cultivators who witnessed the scene.
Tang Xiaoqi's first day in the city, in this way, left his first mark in this Tian Shu City where crouching tigers and hidden dragons abounded.